Scam using instagram contact

[Alexandra454]

Hello,

I am a host in Rio de Janeiro and recently received a request from someone 'who has a lot of clients' and was interested in my apartment'. He asked me to contact him via his Instagram account. Of course I reported the person and posted a warning in a Brazilian group for hosts. It turned out that dozens of people had received the same, identical request for properties all over Brazil. So this was obviously not just a guest trying to save money by negotiating outside of Airbnb. This looks like a much more elaborate scam. Does anyone know what's behind this?

Thanks!

[Helen427]

Not been cheeky, but at a guess, those behind it will know who is behind and involved in it @Alexandra454  😉

Those scammers always get caught up with at some stage so keep reporting them.

There's a number of other ones that have also taken place using What's App etc that you can read about here in the CC.

One has to question if sometimes it's an inside job at a Tech centre along the way.

[Rebecca2503]

I came across this thread on Google. Wanted to give a different perspective! There are a lot of scams out there for sure! Not everyone is scamming though. I’m a photographer, content creator and run social media for some top performing airbnbs in Canada. I have gained some of my best clients who have not only become clients but also become good friends through connecting on airbnb. I’ve found so many hidden gems this way! Unfortunately the industry has become littered with people with disingenuine intentions. I see it on the Instagram accounts I run too with all the types of pitches I receive but I just wanted to say not everyone who reaches out is a scammer so it makes me really sad when I see people think this. (Could also depend on where the Airbnb is located maybe scamming is more common) but this is just my perspective from where I am from.